Although 21 states are currently designating a portion of their Every Student Succeeds Act funds specifically for novice principal induction and support, Tennessee is not currently one of these states. This dissertation uses a qualitative case study approach to interview Tennessee principals serving in years four to five, who did not have formal mentorship support during their novice years, to gather their experiences and support needs during this time. The researcher reviews the current literature on novice principal mentorship programs across the country through the lens of Kram's Mentoring Model and Suchman's Program Theory before connecting the literature with the perceived needs of principals in this study. This study aimed to use data from principals' interviews to make implications for practice and future district level formal mentorship program development in Tennessee schools. Findings from this study identified the problems faced by novice Tennessee principals as well as suggested inputs, processes, outputs, and potential outcomes if the implicated program were implemented. Using the principal participants as stakeholders in development, a program theory mentoring model, needed to help new Tennessee principals transition into and thrive in the role, is presented. The study concludes with recommendations for multiple stakeholders including state education officials, directors of schools, district leaders, human capital, professional development leaders, district leaders, and selected principal mentors. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]